All These Little Things
by Firetoflame
Summary: Emma can't let her parents in, not because she doesn't want them, but because they don't know her. Determined to prove their love, Mary Margaret and David set out on a quest, not one that involves battling evil queens or dragons—that would be too easy, but to win their daughter's love and prove to her that even after twenty eight years without them, they know exactly who she is.
1. Chapter 1

True loves kiss can break any curse.

That's the way the magic was written.

And so it did.

Emma Swan had saved her son. With true loves kiss she had brought Henry back. As she looked at him and his cheeky grin, Emma knew she would fight dragons for an eternity if it meant keeping him safe. He was hers and she was never going to let him go.

****"I told you," Henry said. "All you had to do was believe. You did it. The curse is gone."

"Yeah," Emma said, ruffling his hair as he scooted back under the white hospital sheets. "I guess it is. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you."

Henry smiled. "It's okay. I know you wanted to, you just let logic get in the way."

Emma had to laugh. Henry was definitely wiser beyond his years. She wondered where he got that from because it wasn't from her.

She stroked his hand, careful not to hit his I.V. line. Then she stood and grabbed her jacket off Henry's bed. "You okay for a few minutes? I just have to go check on something."

Henry nodded with an exuberant smile. "I'm sure there are people that want to see you too," he said.

"Er, right," Emma replied, backing towards the door. "No funny business while I'm gone. And please, do not eat anything with apples."

Henry laughed. "That's gunna be a thing now, huh?"

"You got it, kid."

Emma gave him a small wave before slipping out the glass door. She paused for a moment, watching through the window until Henry settled in and his eyes drifted closed.

Then she turned, her mind spinning a mile a minute. When the curse broke things changed. It was more than just the fairy tale memories and the magic that returned. She could feel it in her bones.

Family had returned. And Emma wasn't ready for it. She wasn't prepared. When she left Henry's bedside, wondering how far Regina would get before someone tried to hang her from that blasted apple tree in her yard, Emma couldn't help but notice the subtle nods and low bows that were bestowed upon her.

At first she merely cocked an eyebrow and shrugged, but after being bowed out of the hospital, Emma opted to keep her head down. If she didn't make eye contact, she could ignore the strange gestures and then she didn't feel obligated to respond, like it was her civic duty or something.

Emma didn't know where she was going when she hit the pavement, not at first. The strange feeling of not knowing, not understanding the sleepy little town anymore was irritating the once competent sheriff. Emma had the distinct feeling that she would no longer have the credentials to keep up with the kind of things that would go on in this town.

The anomalies that accompanied dwarves and fairies and people made of wood, all the things that Henry had so desperately begged her to believe in. Everything in that stupid book. It was all real and concentrated in this one town.

And despite whether she wanted it or not, she was part of it. She had been born into that world.

A chill zipped up her spine. It was crazy. Emma shook her head, and pulled her jacket on, shrugging into the familiar leather. She untucked her hair from beneath the collar and started a brisk walk towards Granny's, the social hub of the town. If she was going to find out anything it would be there, and if not she could at least pick her and Henry up some dinner. He was probably sick of that hospital slop.

As she rounded the corner of Mr. Gold's shop she froze, her feet digging into the gravel before coming nose to nose with Mary Margaret.

"Ah," Emma said. "Crap." This was not exactly the first person she wanted to run into. She looked up over Mary Margaret's shoulder. David was smiling at her in a weird sort of way; one that made her feel extremely self-conscious. She squirmed. She didn't want to see him either, since according to Henry and his big book of fairy tales, these were her parents; living, breathing, in the flesh parents.

_Twenty-eight years too late _parents.

Boy was she bitter today. Granted, she did just slay a dragon and cooperate with the slightly evil, slightly deranged, and mostly eye-roll inducing Regina to save her son, so forgive her for not wanting to throw an awkward family reunion on top of that. She just wanted to be with her son. So it was best to keep those thoughts in her head if she wanted to spare any feelings. And she did. She wasn't an obnoxious jerk. Just stubborn beyond reason.

"Emma," Mary Margaret whispered. Her smile was so wide it clouded her entire face.

Emma saw the tears gathered in her eyes and chose to look elsewhere. Anywhere else, which was rather difficult. There was a crowd of people forming around them and Emma was glad she had never been claustrophobic.

Her breath hitched though and she stilled, seeing the hand move in her peripheral vision."I can't," Emma said, rolling her shoulders as Mary Margaret reached for her.

It wasn't as if she had never been hugged by Mary Margaret before, but this was different. That hand, the sympathetic smile.

It was different now.

The motives behind the motion had changed. No longer was it a friend comforting another. It was a mother comforting her daughter. Her long lost daughter, returned home as the saviour to a bunch of whacked out, realm hopping story book characters who took revenge to a whole new level of insanity. Or stupidity. She hadn't quite figured that part out yet since she wasn't exactly up to date on her story book life.

Emma saw the hurt she had caused and sighed. It stung like a spark, at least that's what it looked like when Mary Margaret recoiled, clenching her fist and holding it against her chest as if she were wounded.

Emma nodded to herself. That's what she did. She hurt people. She couldn't have parents. It was too late. She was too hardened, too broken to let people in the way they needed, the way they wanted, especially these people.

"I have to go," Emma said suddenly, muttering offhandedly. She threw Henry's name into the conversation for good measure, confirming her priorities to herself and these people. She couldn't stand in the crowd of fairy tale characters anymore, in the middle of a town of people she thought she knew, but it turned out she really didn't. She couldn't be a part of the non-existent reunion, the one that it was blatantly obvious everyone was waiting for.

Mary Margaret and David looked at her, panic lining their faces.

Emma grimaced. She was doing it already. Making a mess of things.

"Emma, please," Mary Margaret begged. "We love you."

"No, you don't," Emma said gently, taking a step back as the crowd parted to free her. "You're in love with that baby you sent away twenty-eight years ago." She held up her hands, not in surrender, but to protect herself, maintain the distance. "That's not me. I'm not that baby anymore and I'm definitely not a princess."

Mary Margaret raced forward but was caught by David as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "Let her go," he whispered. "It's a lot to take in."

"I'm sorry," Emma said. "I really am." She turned, keeping her head down to avoid the accusing eyes she knew would follow and walked away, wishing for the briefest moment that she had never followed Henry back to Storybrooke. It was selfish, she knew that, but maybe things wouldn't hurt so much now.

Emma had finally gotten everything she had always longed for: a family.

But now that she had it, she realized just how broken she actually was. She wasn't fit for a family. She was a loner. She had always been alone and now, it was too late for her to learn anything else.

And it would be too hard to make them understand. She just needed some space.

* * *

Hey guys thanks for reading. In case you didn't notice, this story will be slightly canon, slightly AU so let me know if you want to see more.


	2. Chapter 2

After wandering through the woods and along the beach on the excuse that she was making rounds, since she was still the sheriff of Storybrooke, Emma went to Henry. Besides the fact that he was her son, he was also the first person she had known coming to town. And the thing about Henry was he was exactly the same. Having the curse broken changed nothing between them and for that Emma couldn't have been more grateful.

She plopped down in the chair beside his bed and sighed. Henry stirred in his sleep but didn't wake. After glancing at the monitors beside him and watching him breathe for a minute, Emma laid her arm over her face, shielding her eyes from the bright halogen lights.

Maybe she needed to sleep.

She should be tired. If anything would wipe you out it was fighting a dragon, but she didn't feel it physically. Mentally, that was another story. She was emotionally exhausted and she was sick of trying to sort through how she should be feeling. She hoped sleep would help, but in the end it would only prolong the inevitable. It was an escape. When she woke the feelings would be there. New and raw: ready for round two. Emma didn't think she could handle it, so she forced her eyes open. Sleep would be a cheap remedy to a big problem.

Maybe she needed a drink. Emma perked up a little. A drink sounded promising.

A small thud against the window looking into Henry's room grabbed her attention. Her are fell away from her face and her eyes fluttered up. She grimaced.

Mary Margaret's army of dwarves had followed her to the hospital. Or maybe should she amend that to Snow White's, since she was pretty sure the shy school teacher she had become friends with did not have an army of dwarves at her disposal. She thought they had been spying on her when she was making her pretend rounds. Some of them smiled sympathetically. Leroy glared at her. Stupid Grumpy. She didn't need that now.

Infuriated, Emma jumped to her feet, stormed across the room and dragged the drapes across the window.

She crossed her arms and spun around only to see that Henry was now awake and staring at her perplexedly.

"Hey," he said with a yawn.

Emma dropped her hands to her hips. "Sorry, kid, didn't mean to wake you."

"Yes, you did," Henry said. "You want to talk."

Emma scowled but her lips curved at the edges. Smart kid.

"You're famous," Henry said, rolling onto his side and nodding to the window.

"Just what I always wanted to be," Emma remarked as she crossed the room and took her seat, leaning against the bed and propping her chin against her hand. "How're you feeling?"

"Alright," Henry said with a smile. "Gramma and Gramps were here."

Emma furrowed her brow. _Who?_

"Mary Margaret and David," Henry said with an exaggerated eye roll, "you know, your parents."

Emma glanced towards the door quickly, then back to Henry. "They came to the hospital?"

Henry nodded. "They came here looking for you. They're worried."

Emma grimaced.

Henry picked at a stray string on his bed sheets. "Why was Mary Margaret crying so much?" he asked.

"Aw, kid, she was just happy you were okay," Emma said without missing a beat.

"No," Henry said forcefully. "She misses you. She wants you. Why can't you just be okay with this? They're your parents. You did it. You broke the curse so you could be together."

"I know, but not everyone is as accepting and forgiving as you, kid," Emma said.

Henry gave her a small smile. "How do you know if you don't even try?"

That caught her off guard and Emma closed her mouth, at a loss for words.

"You're too smart for your own good," she said finally.

And he was. The problem was she was too stubborn and that cancelled out any high hopes Henry had of a normal family.

Emma stared at him and he looked back at her, more unspoken things passing between them. Finally Henry yawned and Emma sighed. "I think it's time I leave," she said. "It's late and you need your rest."

Henry's hand shot out and wrapped around her wrist. "Only if you're going home to Gramma's."

"You gunna keep calling them that?" Emma asked.

"Yep," Henry grinned. "They said it was okay."

"Figures," Emma murmured. "What are my other options?"

"You could stay here and tell me a bedtime story," Henry offered half-heartedly. Emma knew he wanted her to go reconcile with her parents.

"I've got a good one," she muttered. "It's about a town that shouldn't exist but does exist and everyone's insane."

"You don't really think that," Henry said. His lips jutted out in a pout. "Do you?"

"I don't know what I think anymore, kid." Emma sighed.

"Please just go talk to them," Henry begged.

"Alright," Emma conceded standing and stretching before shrugging into her coat.

"You promise," Henry said.

Emma nodded. "Yeah, sure kid." She didn't tell him about the detour she planned to make beforehand.

Henry smiled and Emma leaned over to kiss him on the forehead. "Night. Be good. Get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, and Emma," Henry said.

She looked back at him from the door. "Yeah?"

"I love you."

Emma smiled. "Love you too, kid. Nothing will ever change that."

Henry nodded with a smile on his face and rolled over, tucking his hands under his head.

Emma slipped out the door and turned down the hall, only to be surrounded by several dwarves. She faltered, but continued walking, weaving her way through them. When the footsteps behind her failed to cease, she turned abruptly and glowered. "What are you doing?"

"We must remain with you princess—"

"Are you kidding me? I don't need an escort," she snapped.

"But princess, it's not safe—"

Emma held up her hand. "One, I'm not a princess. And two, I have a gun. I think I'm covered." She sighed at the disappointed faces. "Look, if you want to be useful, then guard Henry's room in case Regina decides to do anymore stupid things."

"The Queen hasn't be seen by anyone since this morning," one of the dwarves said.

Emma nodded. "That's what worries me, but the offer stands. Stay with Henry or go find another princess to stalk. I'm sure there are tons of them kicking around this town."

"As you wish, princess." The dwarves made several clumsy bows which Emma refused to acknowledge, instead opting to use the distraction to get out of the hospital as quickly as possible. Once she was free she made her way down Main Street, hurrying along past wandering eyes, and turned into the nearest bar, one aptly named the Rabbit Hole. It was a dive of a joint but the drinks were cheap and the bartender was spacy so he lost count of the number of drinks Emma was choking back.

Emma hummed lightly to herself, the heavy liquor burning her throat and searing away all logical thought. She sensed the presence behind her before Leroy said anything. She turned, raised her eyebrows at him and downed the rest of her Vodka, smacking her lips together. "I thought I told you I didn't need an escort. I'm a grown woman. I can walk myself home."

The dwarf scrambled onto the bar stool next to here. The bartender made his way over but Leroy waved him off, instead focusing a heavy glare on Emma. "Look sister, this isn't going to fix anything, but if you're determined to drown your problems in alcohol then I'm staying. You need someone to cut you off since you obviously have no moral code right now."

"Excuse me," Emma slurred, pointing a thin finger at the dwarf, which he quickly knocked away to her dismay.

"You have two people who love you more than anything in the world and you're pushing them away," Leroy said in a tone remnant of an ultimatum. "They've waited twenty-eight years for you and now you're sitting here looking for the bottom of a Vodka bottle. Well, sister, you're almost there, so I'd say it's time to pack it in, get off your high-horse and go talk to your parents."

Emma leaned away from him, sizing up the pint-sized dwarf. She could take him. Maybe not in heeled boots but she could definitely hold her own. "I'm the sheriff," she said. "You can't tell me what to do."

Leroy cracked a smirk. "Spoken like your mother's daughter, princess."

"Cut the princess crap," she said.

"Again, just like your mother."

Emma stared at Leroy, then she looked away and slammed her head down on the bar. "Guilt trip can stop any time," she said.

"Sorry princess, just doing my job."

Emma groaned loudly, gathering the attention of several bar hoppers, including an auburn haired woman occupying the pool tables. "Mary Margaret sent you to guilt trip me?" she said, picking up her head.

"No, I swore to protect Snow and I will continue to protect her, even if that means saving her from you."

Emma frowned. "I'm a bad person," she said.

"No, you're just confused. But it doesn't hurt anyone any less."

Emma nodded. "My head hurts."

Leroy smirked. "Yep, I'd say you've had your fill." He looked at the bartender. "Put it on my tab, I've got to get the princess home."

Leroy pulled Emma by the arm. She staggered to the exit still holding her glass.

"Hey, Blondie," someone yelled.

Emma looked around and froze. "Belle?" she murmured, blinking a few times to take in the sight of the woman who had half a dozen men hovering around her.

"Want a game?" she asked, holding out the pool cue. "You look like you could use one."

Emma opened her mouth, but Leroy cut her off.

"Hey sister, this one's been cut off and don't think I'm not coming back for you."

"Geez, grumpy, take it easy," Belle said, shrugging and turning around to a chorus of laughter.

"If you only knew," Leroy grumbled. He took the glass from Emma and dropped it on the nearest table. "I'll show you Grumpy."

"Where's Gold?" Emma asked looking around.

"Not here," Leroy said as he pushed her through the door and out onto the street. "Belle had an accident. Memory thing with the border. She's Lacey right now and making a name for herself as the new town drunk."

"That's a problem," Emma said.

"Yeah, well, I can only deal with one thing at a time and right now Belle isn't hurting anything but her liver. You on the other hand have a town full of people who care about you that you are giving the cold shoulder."

Emma huffed, ignoring the dwarf and his wise sentiments.

Leroy held Emma's elbow, ensuring that she didn't trip over the sidewalk or tumble sideways over those plastic decorative fences and into someone's yard as he escorted her home. Emma wanted to complain and yank her arm away but she knew she'd be swimming in someone's bird bath if she did.

"I know what you're thinking," Leroy said.

Emma cocked any eyebrow. "Doubt it." She had actually been thinking about eating a hamburger. She was starving now and being hungry seemed like one of the problems she could actually solve. In a deeper part of her brain Emma was making plans. Ones that involved taking a break from Storybrooke for a while. Henry would be okay for a couple days and that would give her time to clear her head with anyone hanging over her or guilt tripping her.

She needed her car keys, which meant going back to the apartment. One way or another she would be facing Mary Margaret. With any luck her roommate/mother would be asleep and she could get in and get out without any problems or tears. Emma didn't think she could handle anymore tears.

"Give them a chance and go easy on them," Leroy said. "I know you've had it rough and you want to run, but so have they. Giving up your child isn't easy. You should know that more than anyone."

Emma shrugged, shuffling her feet as they came to a stop outside the building where she and Mary Margaret lived.

"Goodnight princess."

"You gunna keep calling me that?" Emma asked.

"Yep."

"Figures."

Leroy turned and walked down the street, stopping on the corner where he would no doubt be keeping watch. It was like having human cameras monitoring her every move.

Emma scanned the street. Everything seemed quiet. She turned and opened the door. She marched up the stairs, using the railing to keep herself from tumbling backwards. It was late, really late now. All she wanted to do was find her bed. Emma slinked down the hallway, feeling along the wall for the door as her eyelids opened and closed of their own accord. She jiggled the doorknob. It was unlocked. She pushed it open, attempting to tiptoe inside.

"Oh, God, you're both here," Emma groaned when the kitchen light snapped on. She held her hands up to shield her eyes. The dim glow might as well have been a spotlight.

"Where have you been," Mary Margaret snapped in a tone that was not very teacher-like. Emma suspected this was overbearing, motherly Snow making up for lost time.

"Henry," she mumbled, attempting to slip out of her boots. She caught her toe on her heel and stumbled into the coat rack. "Damn," she muttered. So maybe she over did it just a little. Maybe she owed Leroy a thank you. If she forced down anymore alcohol she might have been sleeping on the sidewalk tonight.

"You're drunk," Mary Margaret said. She sounded disappointed, but that wasn't what Emma saw on her face. It was more desolation.

Emma shook her head, tipping the other way as she kicked off her shoes. "I'm fine," she said waving off the accusation. "I'm just gunna go upstairs and—"

"Emma, wait," David said, stepping forward. "We just want to talk."

Emma grabbed the railing that led up to her loft and placed her other hand on her hip. "Look, I—"

****"Wait, please," Mary Margaret said. "We love you and you are our daughter, even if you can't accept that yet."

Emma turned her head, feeling her eyelids droop. She wasn't in the right mind frame for this.

"Can we talk about this tomorrow?" she asked.

"Emma we've waited so long for you," Mary Margaret said, stepping forward. She had an apron on. In Emma's absence she had taken to baking every boxed cake mix she owned to pass the time.

Emma frowned. Apparently they were going to have this conversation now, whether she was in the right frame of mind or not.

She collapsed on the bottom step of the stairwell and dropped her head in her hands. "I can't do this right now," she said.

"Emma, I know it's hard."

"No David, you don't know. Just because you guys remember who you are now doesn't change the past, well, maybe it does for you guys in a way. Everything you've done for the past twenty eight years has been a lie, a stupid little dream, or nightmare I guess, but me, those last twenty eight years have been my life and you weren't part of it. None of it."

David closed his mouth and frowned. Looking at his wife, he tilted his head. This was not going the way they wanted it to.

"Emma it doesn't matter. We're here now," Mary Margaret told her. She took a tentative step forward. Emma didn't bolt, which was a good sign, but the only reason Emma was still seated was because she didn't think her legs would support her anymore.

"But it does matter," Emma said. "I've made it this long without you. You don't even know who I am."

"Please don't pull away from us," David pleaded.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Give us a chance," Mary Margaret said. "That's all we want. A chance to make up for all those years. We can be a family. You have Henry and now we have you."

Emma crinkled her forehead. Why did everything in her life have to be so complicated?

"Please Emma, let us get to know you. Let us prove to you that we know who you are. It's not too late," Mary Margaret said.

Emma shook her head. "Thirty years may not be too late," she said. "But it is a long time and I'm not sure I can do this."

She pushed herself to her feet, shaky legs be damned and stumbled back to the door. She riffled through the basket on the hutch for her car keys.

"Emma, don't go where we can't follow. Please," Snow cried. "Not again."

Something in the way Snow whimpered caught Emma's attention. The ache in her voice was raw and hard. _Not again_. When Emma had gone through the wardrobe her parents couldn't follow. They had no way to get to her. They sacrificed their time with her to save the kingdom, to save everyone, including her. And now she was getting ready to run. Run across the border, once again leaving her parents behind. They couldn't follow her if she chose to leave.

That fact seemed to register with Mary Margaret. She knew what would happen if Emma stepped over that line. She would be gone. They would lose her after they just got her back.

Mary Margaret's legs shook, her knees knocking together. She was terrified, eyes wide, too much white showing. She was heaving frantically. David wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her upright.

It was heart breaking and Emma wanted to slap herself for causing her parents this much pain. She was being ridiculous and selfish. But she also wanted to run. Run to them and run away from them. Her emotions were all over the place, which was probably only compacted by the alcohol. She didn't know what to do.

So she started by dropping her keys back into the basket by the front door.

Later she would claim it was because she was intoxicated and shouldn't be behind the wheel, but in reality she couldn't bear walk away from Henry, or from the two people in front of her. She didn't know how to feel about them; all she knew was that she couldn't leave them.

"Thank you," Snow whispered.

"I'm doing this for Henry," Emma said.

"Of course," Snow agreed. She didn't quite manage to hide the knowing smile.

David smiled too. He had been on the other end of Snow's stubborn-streak long enough to see it in his daughter. She might not be willing to admit that she wanted to stay for them too, but the fact that she was staying spoke volumes. It wasn't a big victory, but one that he would gladly take. All they needed was a chance. A chance to begin again; to be the family they never got to be.

"I still don't know how to do this," Emma mumbled, supporting herself by hanging onto the hutch, "but I'll give it a shot."

"Thank you, Emma," Snow said. "We just want to show you that it isn't too late. We can know you."

"Wonderful," Emma muttered, "now can I go to bed?"

"Not yet," Snow said suddenly and Emma groaned.

David raced forward and helped Emma to the couch, making sure not to crowd her, while Snow went to the kitchen. She returned to Emma with a couple Aspirin and a glass of water. "Take these and drink. You need to hydrate to combat the alcohol."

"Too late," Emma mumbled. But she did as she was told.

Snow exchanged a smile with her husband. After several gulps, Emma's head bobbed and the water glass almost fell from her hand, but David managed to rescue it just as she passed out cold.

"This is not exactly how I imagined it would be the first time we put her to bed," David said with a smirk, having carried Emma up the stairs over his shoulder and deposited her on the bed.

Snow pulled the covers over Emma. She chuckled. "What, you didn't know she would be completely intoxicated?" she said mockingly. "What parenting books have you been reading?"

"I heard that," Emma said. She had her head pressed into the pillow. Her words were muffled and scratchy.

"Good thing you won't remember it in the morning," Snow said lightly.

Emma huffed, once again slipping into a booze-induced fog. _Probably not_.

* * *

_**Thanks for reading. Please review if you want to see more :)**_


	3. Chapter 3

Morning came, bringing the sun with it, and Emma groaned, pulling the thick comforter over her face. If she concentrated on nothing, maybe her mind would slip back into the numb abyss and she could spend another hour pretending her life hadn't erupted into a mess of childhood fantasies.

Warm rays of light trickled through the fabric, determined to reach her, determined to pull her from her contemplation. The comforter was not enough to ward off the day and Emma sighed, not in anger, but in defeat. Mary Margaret insisted on outfitting the apartment with sheer curtains. She liked the light the early morning brought, new and fresh and full of hope. Emma was usually fine with it since she had to be up early to get to the station, but not now, when her brain was pounding on the inside of her skull. Blinding white daylight was not alright.

It was not alright for the headache. It was not alright for the stabbing pain behind her eyes and it definitely was not alright for the dizzy waves that washed over her.

Cue the hangover. Emma could taste the alcohol on her tongue. Last night was fuzzy and only came back to her in short glimpses, most of which consisted of her crashing into things, but she remembered something about a rabbit hole and a dwarf and maybe having the strange desire to swim in a bird bath.

This is why she was supposed to stay away from the Vodka. God only knows what she did last night. No doubt she made a mess of things, embarrassed herself, and probably pissed off half a dozen people. That's just what she needed, more people to apologize to because she was a stubborn, cynical, pessimist.

Emma scrunched her eyes, rubbing a hand across her face, as a wave of throbbing pain zipped from the center of her forehead, around her eyes and to the base of her neck. It lingered there for a minute before the pain became a sour taste in the back of her mouth, like the bitter taste of vomit.

Emma threw the covers off and bolted across the room, stumbling as she tried to maintain her gait. She flicked the bathroom light on, clinging to the wall for support, before launching herself towards the base of the toilet. She threw her head over the bowl just in time.

It was colourful. Vomit always was, defying logic with the multitude of shapes, patterns, and rainbow shades. For some reason alcohol never looked quite the same going down as it did coming up. The only thing that didn't surprise Emma was the burning fire of stomach acid on her throat. It jump started her gag reflex and she heaved again, bringing up her insides.

It was mostly liquid since she hadn't really eaten yesterday, between the dragon and Henry and the curse breaking, she had been a little preoccupied.

Emma gripped the sides of the toilet with both hands and her entire body shook. She felt horrible. Each rib screamed in agony as her body worked in reverse. Every muscle groaned. Every bone weakened by the action. She wanted to die. She wanted to slam the toilet seat down on her head and dive into the darkness.

In the dark things would be quieter. It would be peaceful. She would be peaceful. All the light and sound and responsibility would just fade away. That's what Emma had been hoping for when she started drinking last night. She wanted the darkness. For a little while she wanted to forget about what was now expected of her. And she had. The sleep had been cold and dark. There were no dreams. No feelings, no reason for Emma to fret over waking. But eventually she had and now she regretted everything. Every shot. Every glass. Every tip of the bottle.

Emma wanted it all to go away and instead it had all hit her ten times harder.

Karma was a bitch. The universe was telling her to get off her ass and stop being afraid. She couldn't keep running from her problems. She had to face them. No more avoiding her parents. No more lying to Henry. And definitely no more midnight appointments with the Rabbit Hole. She had better things to do with her time. People were counting on her. She was counting on her.

As much as Emma wanted to sink into the tiled floor, becoming one with the faded vinyl, her body had other plans. A wild and explosive force worked its way up her throat and she once again doubled over the ceramic toilet, praying for it to stop. She was willing to sell her soul at this point. Anything to make her roiling stomach settle.

The tears gathered and faded, waiting but not quite ready to emerge. Crying wouldn't help anything. It was her fault she was in this mess anyway. Now she had to deal with it. Her muscles tensed again and Emma groaned. Okay, maybe some tears would help.

Then someone was behind her, pulling her hair up as a convulsion shook her entire body.

"Oh, Emma, what have you done to yourself?"

Mary Margaret wrapped a hair tie around Emma's long blonde locks, pulling them up into a messy bun at the top of her daughters head. Seeing Emma as her daughter now, there were things she noticed that she hadn't previously. Emma had her father's blonde hair, but it was feathery and soft like hers. She also got her curls. And she definitely had her chin. That observation had been correct.

Mary Margaret placed a hand between Emma's shoulders, murmuring words of comfort as Emma threw up again. She wanted so much to make it stop. The pain and the whimpers, but she knew there was nothing to do but let nature run its course. She had seen the aftermath of too much alcohol many times in the Enchanted Forest, but in those times the bar maids would toss the drunken men out on the street to sleep off the liquid poison. Now that it was her daughter, all she wanted to do was hug her and force her back into bed.

She did neither because she knew Emma would never agree to either. She was stubborn. Mary Margaret smiled. Emma got that from her.

"You're kind of freaking me out," Emma groaned, turning her face to stare up at the woman who was keeping her company as her digestive tract turned inside out. "Smiling like that."

"I'm just happy," Mary Margaret said. There was a rosy flush on her cheeks.

"Can't imagine this is really one for the memory books," Emma said through her teeth. She was determined to keep the contents inside her stomach. Whatever might have been left.

When a few minutes passed with nothing happening, Emma reached forward and flushed the toilet. Then she collapsed against the tub. She inhaled deeply, gathering her thoughts before looking up again. She didn't want to see the disappointment there.

But instead of finding that, when Emma looked up, Mary Margaret just looked concerned. The smile had faded with the thoughts of how similar mother and daughter were. They were now replaced with worry. "Are you okay?" she asked Emma.

"Yeah, just a hangover," she said, grimacing. "Nothing I haven't dealt with before."

"So I guess eggs are out?" Mary Margaret said. "Not that David left you very much."

Emma jerked her head. "Maybe I'll just try some plain toast instead. Or better yet, just tap water."

Mary Margaret smiled, glad that Emma was willing to eat something. A diet of alcohol and life altering changes didn't sit too well on the stomach. "Okay, I'll get started on that. You shower. I'm teaching today but I still have some time," she said.

Emma raised her eyebrows.

"The kids still need to go to school," Mary Margaret explained. She tapped her temple. "And I have an entire year's worth of lesson plans stuck up here, so I might as well put them to good use."

"Dammit. Henry," Emma said suddenly, straining to see the alarm clock back on her dresser. "I forgot." She tried to push herself off of the floor but Mary Margaret caught her shoulders before a sudden drop of blood pressure could knock her on her ass again.

"It's okay. I sent David ahead until you're ready. He'll keep Henry occupied."

Emma nodded gratefully. "I'm sure. The kid's in love with just getting to call you guys Gramma and Gramps," she noted.

Mary Margaret was quiet for a minute. "I hope that was okay," she said. "We didn't mean to overstep or anything."

Emma shrugged it off. "Don't worry about it. That's what you are." She rubbed at her eyes. "I was hoping to talk to David anyway, so him being with Henry kills two birds with one stone. Makes my day easier."

Mary Margaret grinned helplessly. That was good progress. Emma accepting her and David as Henry's grandparents meant that somewhere inside her, she had reconciled with the fact that they were indeed her parents. "Alright. Good. Uh, you sure you're going to be okay? Maybe you should take the day."

"No," Emma said, searching for her resolve. "There are things that need to get done."

"I could wait for you to finish and then we could leave together." Mary Margaret checked her watch.

"No you go ahead. I need to get cleaned up." Emma held her hand in front of her face. "I might be stuck brushing my teeth for a while."

"Okay, well maybe if you're feeling up to it we can meet for lunch?" Mary Margaret offered.

Emma paused. Was that a good idea? Were they rushing things? She would have eaten lunch with the old Mary Margaret. Why was this any different? The hopeful look on Mary Margaret's face swayed the decision.

"I guess if you're up for eating at the Sheriff's station. I have a feeling I'm going to be swamped for the next couple weeks."

"That sounds great," Mary Margaret said. "I'll see you then." She backed out of the bathroom quickly before Emma had time to change her mind. She felt bad, just a little. Emma was off her game, delirious from low blood sugar and an electrolyte imbalance. Mary Margaret was taking advantage of that. Normal Emma would have weaseled her way out of this by now. She would have run.

Emma nodded, using the towel bar to pull herself to her feet. "Hey, Mary Margaret," she called before the woman completely disappeared from view.

"Yeah?"

Emma winced as she straightened. She took a breath and said, "Thanks, you know, for everything."

Mary Margaret smiled. She was happy. Spending the morning with her puking child had sent her spirits soaring. It was ridiculous, but true. Was this what motherhood was like? Would she feel this way every time Emma let her in? She hoped so. "Of course," she said, resisting the urge to embrace her daughter. She folded her hands together and with a small nod left Emma to get ready for the day.

**:::-:::-:::**

Emma raced down the stairs, running the towel through her damp hair again. She was half dressed, with one sock on and the other clamped between her teeth.

She skidded into the kitchen, debating on coffee when something caught her attention. There was a sticky note taped to the side of the toaster, the one she broke, and then tried to fix, then broke again.

_Emma,_

_ I'll be the first to admit that there is a lot we still need to learn about each other but that doesn't mean that David and I don't know you at all. We were friends before the curse broke and I would hope that hasn't changed._

_ P.S. I know you like cinnamon on your hot chocolate. Drink it. It'll help balance out your blood sugar levels. Oh, and take some aspirin. Trust me, it'll help._

_ —Mary Margaret_

Emma smiled despite herself, wrapping her hand around the mug beside the toaster. It wasn't steaming, but the ceramic was still warm to the touch. She pressed the rim to her mouth and took a sip, sweet with an extra tang from the cinnamon.

The sugar flooded her veins and immediately she felt better. The shower had helped take the edge off the headache and now she actually felt like her usual self. She wasn't up to battling any dragons but she could probably manage to throw an irate fairy tale character in the slammer; or at the very least keep up with Regina's snarky attitude if the Evil Queen decided to show her face any time soon.

And Mary Margaret was right. She did like cinnamon on her hot chocolate. Emma looked at the sticky note again. She picked it up and using her foot, kicked open the cupboard the garbage can was in. She held the note over the can for a moment before deciding against throwing it out and instead tucked it into the pocket of her jeans.

Who knows, maybe Mary Margaret and David knew her better than she thought. That brought a smile to Emma's lips. And maybe, slowly, things would get easier. This family thing, maybe she could get used to it.

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**Thanks for reading. Tell me what you think so far and if you want to see more...**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Just a quick chapter here...hope to write the rest of this tonight and have it posted by Friday :D As always reviews are always welcome. Thanks for reading and following!**_

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Emma drove her yellow Bug down Main Street, veering left suddenly when she almost missed the turn-off to the hospital. She had been thinking, well, day dreaming really. Avoiding reality. She was trying to ignore the low bows and waves she was getting from people on the street. She would have to invest in a car that wasn't as obvious. Her choices were either the bright yellow Bug, or the cruiser, of which neither option screamed discreet.

She parked a little crooked and raced into the hospital before someone could stop her and request to shake her hand.

"Ms. Swan," the receptionist said. "We didn't expect to see you today." Her smile was sympathetically sweet.

Emma stopped abruptly, furrowing her brow. "Is Henry here?"

"Of course," the receptionist said, now looking confused as well.

"Then why wouldn't I be here?"

"Oh, David showed up early and said you weren't feeling well."

Emma nodded. "I feel fine," she said. "Just a headache."

The receptionist smiled. "Good to hear, dear. We wouldn't want anything happening to the Saviour."

"Yeah." Emma paused. "Okay." She shook her head. This Saviour junk was going to get old real fast. "Can Henry be discharged?" she asked the woman.

"Yes, in fact, I just organized the paperwork." The receptionist rifled through the manila folders on her desk. She shoved two sheets in front of Emma and handed her a pen. "I just need signatures here and here."

Emma signed and shoved the papers back towards the receptionist. She turned and headed towards Henry's room. She slowed as she approached, seeing Henry and David both peering avidly over his fairy tale book.

It was a sweet sight. David pointed and spoke, Henry hanging on every word. His cheeks were red and puffed from smiling so widely. He tipped his head slightly, looking up at David with adoration and Emma stopped. He looked so much like Mary Margaret in that moment. How Emma had never noticed it before was beyond her. He had Mary Margaret's chin, her cheeks, her fair skin and sweet blush. But he had David's eyes. And his smile. Henry was a spitting image of his grandparents. Her parents.

That still felt weird. _Her parents_. It didn't leave a sour taste in her mouth. When she looked at them she didn't ache with longing anymore. She just didn't know how to feel about it. They were there. She was here. They wanted to know her and she wanted them too. There was just the problem of time. So much time had passed with her thinking she was alone, that she had been abandoned by people who didn't love her. Knowing the truth was almost harder. Knowing they had loved her the entire time and she had missed growing up with that, it hurt.

She tried not to think about it. Time had moved on. She had moved on. Grown-up. She was an adult now, with a child of her own. She had responsibilities, but everywhere she went the issue of her family seemed to be staring her in the face. Literally.

"Emma."

Emma shook her head.

"You okay?" David asked, holding the door to Henry's room open. "You've been standing there for a while."

She crossed her arms. "Sorry, just thinking," she said.

"Feeling better?" he asked. "Your mo—Snow said you were sick this morning."

"Fine," Emma said. "You and Henry have a good morning?"

David looked back and smiled. "It's weird to think I'm a Grandpa. I never even had a chance to get used to being a father and now I have you _and_ Henry. It's a change but a nice one. He's a great kid."

Emma smiled, glad to know that David and Henry were getting along well. Henry needed someone like David in his life. He didn't have a strong male figure to look up to, but maybe things would be different now. Henry _was_ a great kid and he deserved great people to love him. He deserved his happy-ending, fairy-tale family. Without Henry, none of this would have happened. Storybrooke would have continued to exist in a state of lull, never really moving forward, no-one knowing who they really were.

Henry had fixed it all. He had believed. Even when she hadn't, he believed enough for both of them.

"You gunna come in?" David asked. "Or I can leave if that's easier." He made the offer and Emma knew he wouldn't fight her on it if that's what she wanted. All he and Mary Margaret wanted was to know her and they were desperately struggling with trying not to push her away. They didn't want to crowd her, afraid she would run. But she could also tell that no matter how good their intentions, it hurt them to stay away, to keep that separation.

Emma smiled. "It's not that. I wanted to talk to you actually."

"Oh," David said. He stepped out of the room and into the hall. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. No, well it's a bit crazy right now—" Emma stopped and took a breath. "What I mean is, I need help."

David looked taken aback. Emma, his daughter of twenty eight years, that he had really only known for a few days, was asking him for help. Sincerely looking to him. He nodded vigorously at the request. "Anything," he said.

"I need a deputy."

David nodded.

"I know you have a thing at the Pet Shelter but Storybrooke isn't the same place it was a couple days ago. The people aren't the same. These are your people. I just think having you aboard would help make the transition easier. You know them. You know what they've been through." Emma sighed. "I'm walking in blind here."

David placed a hand on her shoulder. "These are your people too. I know it doesn't feel like it, but I know it and they know it."

Emma gave him a small smile. "I'm still out of my element."

"Well then consider the job accepted."

Emma's grin widened.

David's heart flitted wildly. This was his daughter. His beautiful, grown-up daughter, but that smile, it was that of a child. The way she looked at him, her eyes wide and glassy. He saw himself and Snow in that instant. Emma was perfect. She was them in equal parts and there was nothing he wouldn't do for her.

Emma cleared her throat, sobering up. Her smile faded and her lips pulled into a tight, serious line. "I'm still the boss though, and you have to get the coffee."

"Deal," David said, noting the shift in tone. Emma had been defenceless for a second. For several precious moments he had seen the part of her that needed him. The part of her that still needed her dad. Now she had hardened again, using her sardonic humor as a shield.

"And no sleeping in the holding cells."

David laughed. "Do I get a gun, or is the badge just for show?"

Emma smirked. "I thought you'd prefer a sword."

David looked contemplative.

"I was joking," Emma said quickly.

"Actually—"

"Don't even ask about a horse," Emma told him.

David grinned. "I'll save that as one of my signing bonuses."

"Who said I'm drawing up a contract. Maybe this is only temporary work."

"With all these characters running around like the Headless Horseman," David said, gesturing over his shoulder. "We'll be lucky if we have things straightened out this century."

"Tell me about it," Emma said. Here phone beeped for the hundredth time that morning. She glanced down, then looked back at David. "It's time to prioritize. I think we need a secretary."

David frowned. "Okay."

"But before that we have bigger problems," Emma continued, flipping through her messages. "The town line has become enchanted. Anyone who crosses it reverts back to their Storybrooke selves."

Emma pursed her lips before adding, "Permanently."

"That's a problem," David agreed.

"We need someone on border patrol to make sure no one accidently crosses. We'll put the word out around town but I think it's a good idea to have a security system. There are too many identity crises' to deal with as it is."

"We need someone reliable," David said.

"And who likes to work," Emma added. "It's going to be a round the clock job for the next little while."

David looked at her. "The dwarves," he said. "That way they can take shifts and trade off. No one likes to work more than they do."

"Okay," Emma said. "You find the dwarves and give them the run down." Emma looked through the window at her son. "And take Henry with you."

David looked up. "Are you sure?"

"He's been discharged and he's probably bored. I'm sure he's not going to like me very much if I drag him to the station. It's probably worse than the hospital."

"Okay," David said. "If you're sure."

"Trust me," Emma said smiling. "It'll make his day."

David grinned ear to ear with a kind of vacant expression on his face and Emma took the opportunity to slip past him. "Hey kid," she said

"Emma," Henry said, his face glowing.

"How do you feel about getting out of here?"

"I'm free?"

"You are," she said. "David's got some deputy work to do. How about you get dressed and go with him?"

"Really?" Henry beamed. "Alright!"

"Told you," Emma said, turning to David. "Happiest kid in Storybrooke."

David grinned. "Just wait until I teach him how to horseback ride and wield a sword."

Emma's eyebrows shot up.

David backpedaled. "Is that not something I should do?"

"Uh, no, well, I guess it's not any worse than some of the things he could be doing. I just—" Emma frowned.

"What is it?" David asked curiously. He wondered about the blank look that came over Emma's face.

She shook her head, breaking out of the daze. "I don't even know how to ride a horse."

David sighed happily. That he could fix. It really shouldn't be too hard to teach her. She was the product of him and Snow after all. She was born to ride a horse and wield a sword, maybe even more than she was born to be a princess. "Is it something you want to learn?" David asked hopefully.

"I don't know," she said. "Never really thought about it."

"What if you did think about it?" he asked.

"Then I'd think what I thought," Emma replied.

David chuckled. It was such a Snow answer. "I'll take that as a yes," he said.

Emma opened her mouth to protest but Henry crashed into her side in the same moment, hugging her tightly. "Missed you," he said.

"Missed you too, kid. Have fun with David, okay. I'll see you around lunch."

David nodded, taking Henry's backpack and slinging it over his own shoulder. "Come on, Prince Henry. We've got important business to attend to."

David turned down the hall with Henry close on his heels.

Henry spun, jogging backwards as he waved to Emma. "Did you hear that, Emma? I'm a Prince!"

"Sure did, kid," she whispered. "Sure did."


	5. Chapter 5

** So, like I may have mentioned before, this story will probably plot hop. I never intended it to be focused on the town interaction as much as it was about Emma and her relationship with her parents, but the fact that their little bubble of happiness isn't the only thing in the works in Storybrooke can't be avoided, so anyway, just to warn you :P Oh yah, please review! It makes my day :D**

* * *

Lunch arrived faster than she thought it would. Emma had her face pressed against the computer screen with a new Word document opened. An hour ago it had been blank, now she was busy filling up the pages with the names of all the Storybrooke residents and their fairy tale identities. It was the first step to organizing the chaos. She thought it would be something manageable, something concrete, that she could handle. She thought wrong.

After dealing with the border issue, the next order of business seemed to be rounding up the town and organizing some sort of missing person assembly. Now that everyone remembered who they were, they were desperately searching out family and friends. Emma's phoned beeped with message after message begging for news of lost loved ones.

She needed to organize some sort of reuniting force, or maybe David would be better at heading that, or even Mary Margaret. People would listen to them. They were Snow White and Prince Charming after all. People looked to them in times of crisis. And this was a crisis. A crisis of magical proportions spanning two entirely different realms.

Emma ground her fingers into her temples, massaging away the headache. She groaned as the words on the screen blurred. She blinked and the boxed letters faded completely. "Damn," she muttered.

"I think someone is in need of a break," Mary Margaret said. She gave Emma a sweet smile from the door.

Emma looked over her shoulder at the clock on the wall. It was noon. She sighed and closed the laptop. She wasn't getting any further without Henry's help. He was better at sorting out this identity thing. Maybe she should employ him, too. Then it would really be a family business.

"Emma?"

"Yeah—oh, right, lunch," she said, clearing room on her desk. "Sorry, I was just—" Emma trailed off. She didn't exactly know what she was doing. Some would say coping, but Emma just felt lost.

Mary Margaret smiled as she walked across the room, holding out a styrofoam cup. "Coffee," she said. "I thought you could use some."

"Thanks," Emma said. She inhaled deeply. The caffeine seemed to permeate every pore on her skin: bitter, delicious. It smelt like home. Whatever home was. "I could."

Mary Margaret looked around. "I'm surprised you aren't all hoped up on caffeine yet." She spied the coffee machine in the little galley kitchen that ran adjacent to the main office.

Emma followed her gaze. "Broken," she said, turning around to finish piling her work in the appropriate folders. "That's why David's in charge of coffee."

"Oh?"

"He's the deputy now. That's in his job description until we get a new machine," Emma explained.

Mary Margaret nodded, looking around the office and sipping her drink.

Emma narrowed her eyes. "He already told you, didn't he?"

Mary Margaret gave her an apologetic shrug. "He called. He was really excited about working with you. And with spending the morning with Henry." She smiled, looking down before she met Emma's eyes. "Can you blame him? I'm a little jealous myself."

Emma rolled her eyes. The sound of a laughing boy broke her train of thought.

"We come bearing food," David said. He had one arm around Henry and the other held out his offering. A brown paper bag that was unmistakably from Granny's. It had the word CHARMING scrawled across the front followed by a small red heart. Ruby's writing.

David kissed Mary Margaret on the cheek as he passed. Emma watched the interaction. Casual. Expectant. He knew she would be here. Which meant they both knew about lunch. Emma shook her head. They planned it. They had blindsided her into a family meal. Emma crossed her arms and pursed her lips. Well played, Charming's.

David dropped the bag on the desk Emma had just cleared off and began unpacking. He handed Emma a foil wrapped sandwich. "Grilled cheese," he said.

She took it and thanked him. She occupied herself with unwrapping her sandwich but she was really just watching her parents from under her lashes. David smiled at Mary Margaret. She gave him a thumbs up. Emma laughed inside. Apparently they thought things were going well.

And maybe they were. Emma didn't have the urge to run away, at least, not yet. Maybe it was because Henry was here and chatting happily to his grandparents.

"When do I go back to school?" he asked suddenly.

Emma took a bite of her sandwich as Mary Margaret and David pulled up seats beside her and Henry. They were all gathered around her desk. "Soon, I guess. You seem to be back to your old self," she said.

Henry's face fell.

"Why?" Emma asked. "Don't you want to go back to school?"

"I do," Henry said, glancing at Mary Margaret. "It's just, I had a lot of fun today, with Gramps. We rode around in his truck and found all the dwarves—they were at the mine. You know they said that after the border thing is settled their going to start digging for fairy dust." Henry's face lit up for a second, his eyes going glassy. Then it faded and he picked up a french fry and took a half-hearted bite. "I don't get to do things like that at school."

"Well I heard someone is going to be learning how to horseback ride," Emma said. "And you can't do that unless you go back to school."

Henry almost spit out his milk. "Really?" His smile was contagious.

Mary Margaret looked at David, who was looking at Emma.

"Yep, that's what David said and he's the expert," Emma continued, trying not to reveal how excited she was for Henry. She didn't want to look like a squealing child. She needed to maintain some composure.

She chanced a glance at her parents. They were both a little shell-shocked and misty eyed. Maybe Emma was moving a bit too fast for them now, but she couldn't help it. Yeah, so maybe she wasn't exactly ready to jump into this relationship with two feet, she was more just dipping her toes in, but when it came to Henry, she couldn't deny him the time with David or Mary Margaret. They had already missed those moments of Emma's life and she wasn't going to have the same thing happen with their grandson. Henry deserved a family. And she was going to make sure he had it, despite what she was feeling.

"So how about we compromise," Emma said. "You can take the rest of the week off and help David out. But next week you have to go to school with Mary Margaret, okay?"

"And then I get to ride horses?" Henry said.

David laughed, seemingly recovered from his emotional daze. He wanted nothing more than to hug Emma, but he knew she'd recoil. She wasn't ready for that, but she was trying. She had extended an olive branch and he wasn't going to ruin it by rushing her into things. If he had learned anything it was that he had to let his daughter come to him. That was the only way their relationship was going to move forward. It was hard. He knew it was killing Snow, the distance, but little moments like this, it made it all worth it.

"Actually, first thing you get to learn is how to muck out a stall," David said.

"Cool." Henry beamed.

"You'll be singing a different tune when you figure out what muck means," Emma mumbled.

Mary Margaret and David laughed. They watched her and Emma felt her cheeks burn. She squirmed self-consciously under their adoring gaze.

The little family seeped into an awkward silence.

"It must be nice to finally retire from curse breaking," David said finally, looking from Emma to Henry. The boy smiled.

"I'm just glad people have stopped thinking I'm crazy," he said, picking up a fry and shoving it in the side of his mouth.

Mary Margaret looked sad for a moment. "That must have been hard," she said. "I'm sorry, Henry."

He just shrugged. "It was, but when Emma got here it was fun. I liked operation COBRA."

Emma nodded. "It was fun, mostly. There were a few things I could have done without. Dragons and apples and all that nonsense."

Henry laughed. "You really fought a dragon, huh?"

"I know," Emma said. "Who would have thought your mother was keeping that kind of thing locked up under the town. This place gets weirder every day."

Mary Margaret and Charming exchanged a funny look.

"What?" Emma said. She dropped her sandwich and pointed between them. "I saw that look."

David shrugged. "It's just, dragons and apples. It's kind of the norm in the Enchanted Forest. At least for this family."

Emma gave him a hard look. "And we are not in the Enchanted Forest are we? Last time I checked this was Maine."

"Touché," David said, before sipping his drink.

"And I don't plan on doing any of it again," Emma said. "So this evil curse junk better be done with." Emma thumped her fist on the desk making Henry and Mary Margaret jump. "We are going to have a normal couple of weeks."

Someone cleared their throat loudly. This time Emma jumped.

"Mr. Gold," Mary Margaret said, tilting her head and lacing her brows together.

"Isn't this precious. Together at last," the man said.

"What do you want?" David asked. He began to rise but Gold shook his hands.

"No need to get up. I don't mean to intrude on this lovely picture. I was just hoping you would post this somewhere in the station. I've been delivering them around town."

Gold held out a piece of paper to Emma. It was a WANTED poster with Regina's picture on it.

Mary Margaret shuddered. It reminded her of the WANTED posters that had been put out for Snow in the Enchanted Forest. It was the reason she had spent most of her life on the run.

Emma frowned. "Look I'm sure you want Regina's head on a stick as much as the next person, but is this really necessary?"

"She hasn't been seen by anyone since the curse broke and she can't hide forever," Gold said. "People want her to pay for what she's done. And she can't do that if she's missing."

"Revenge," Emma said. She raised her eyebrows at him. "Don't you think that's caused enough problems? Isn't that the reason this stupid town exists in the first place. Maybe it should be a lesson learned."

Gold shook his head. "She locked Belle up for twenty eight years. I thought she was dead. The curse lifted and I got her back only to have her memories ripped away again. This isn't revenge, it's justice," he hissed.

"What were you doing at the border anyway?" Emma asked suddenly.

"That's beside the point," Gold snapped. "I will get what I want, with or without your help. I always do."

Emma looked down at the poster again. "You're offering a reward?" she scoffed. "And what exactly is that going to be? A month's free rent?"

"Whatever their heart desires, dearie," Gold said, sounding particularly impish. "I am the Dark One after all." He turned on his heel and left, only the click of his cane sounding as he disappeared from the station.

Emma looked at her parents and grimaced. "Should I be worried about that?"

"Eh," David began.

Henry jumped from his seat. "Emma, we can't let him hurt her. She's still my mom."

"I know kid, but she's made some really bad decisions and a lot of people are angry."

"That's not a reason," Henry said. "She still has good in her. I know it. She wants to change. She wants to be better."

"I know you believe that, kid, but it's not enough, it doesn't fix anything."

"But it does," Henry said. "It should. If I didn't believe in you and that you would break the curse, none of this would have happened." He looked at his grandparents. "You two wouldn't be together. I believed in you, Emma. I believed that you would fix this and you did. I also believe in her."

Mary Margaret sighed and reached for Henry.

He pulled away and said, "None of us are just good or evil. The world isn't black and white. Everyone has made mistakes. That's what makes them better, because they learn from those mistakes, they try to do good."

"Henry, I—" Emma rubbed her face with her hand.

"We have to give her a chance," Henry begged. "We have to do what's right."

Someone was yelling.

"Hear that?" Emma said, turning her head. David opened his mouth just as Ruby burst into the room. "Hey, you okay?" Emma asked the bewildered looking waitress. She shook her head.

"Emma!" Ruby said breathlessly. "David, come quick. Gold's got the town in a frenzy over Regina. Someone's going to get hurt."

Emma looked at Henry. His eyes were pleading with her. She groaned and grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair. "Then we have to get to her first. C'mon, we have an angry mob to dissipate."

"Should I bring my gun?" David wondered.

Emma debated for a moment. "Actually, this time, I think your sword might be more useful."

David looked at her with a funny expression.

Emma shrugged it off. "You are Prince Charming aren't you?"

David nodded.

"Then come on."


End file.
